Variable peak wavelength cooking instrument with support tray

ABSTRACT

Several embodiments include a cooking appliance/instrument (e.g., oven). The cooking appliance/instrument can include a cooking chamber, a support tray adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; and a heating system comprised of at least a heating element. The heating system is adapted to emit waves according to a particular configuration such that the emitted waves is substantially transparent or substantially opaque to the support tray and thus enabling the cooking instrument to select what to heat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/370,076, filed Aug. 2, 2016 and is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/261,784,filed Sep. 9, 2016 that claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 62/256,626 filed Nov. 17, 2015; U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/249,456 filed Nov. 2, 2015; U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/240,794 filed Oct. 13, 2015; U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/218,942 filed Sep. 15, 2015 and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/216,859 filed Sep. 10, 2015, which all areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments relate to cooking instruments, such as ovens.

BACKGROUND

The art of cooking remains an “art” at least partially because of thefood industry's inability to help cooks to produce systematically awardworthy dishes. To make a full course meal, a cook often has to usemultiple cooking instruments, understand the heating patterns of thecooking instruments, and make dynamic decisions throughout the entirecooking process based on the cook's observation of the target food'sprogression (e.g., transformation due to cooking/heating). Because ofthis, while some low-end meals can be microwaved (e.g., microwavablemeals) or quickly produced (e.g., instant noodles), traditionally, trulycomplex meals (e.g., steak, kebabs, sophisticated dessert, etc.) cannotbe produced systematically using conventional cooking instrumentsautomatically. The industry has yet been able to create an intelligentcooking instrument capable of automatically and consistently producingcomplex meals with precision, speed, and lack of unnecessary humanintervention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a perspective view of a cookinginstrument, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of a cookinginstrument, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of acooking instrument, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a cookinginstrument to cook food, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional front view of a first example of a cookinginstrument, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional top view of the cooking instrument of FIG.5A along lines A-A′, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional top view of the cooking instrument of FIG.5A along lines B-B′, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional top view of the cooking instrument of FIG.5A along lines C-C′, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of a second example of a cookinginstrument, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a heating system of a cooking instrument,in accordance with various embodiments.

The figures depict various embodiments of this disclosure for purposesof illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments describe a cooking instrument (e.g., with anenclosed cooking chamber and a heating system therein). The cookinginstrument can be referred to as an oven or a cooking appliance. Thecooking instrument can have one or more heating elements controlled by acomputing device (e.g., a computer processing unit (CPU), a controller,application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any combinationthereof). The computing device can control the peak emission wavelengthand/or the spectral power distribution of the heating elements. Forexample, each heating element can include one or more filament assembly,one or more drivers that receives commands from a computing device andadjust the power, peak wavelength, and/or spectral power distribution ofwaves emitted from the filament assembly, a containment vessel, or anycombination thereof. The computing device can control the filamentassemblies (e.g., individually or as a whole) by controlling theelectric signals driving these filament assemblies. For example, thecomputing device can change driving power, average electrical currentlevel, driving signal pattern, driving signal frequency, or anycombination thereof by targeting different material in a cooking chamberof the cooking instrument to heat. For example, the peak wavelength ofwaves emitted by a filament assembly can coincide with excitablewavelength of meat, water, a glass tray in the cooking instrument,interior chamber wall of the cooking instrument, containment vessels(e.g., envelope) of the filament assemblies, or any combination thereof.The computing device can implement an interactive user interface tocontrol the cooking instrument. For example, the interactive userinterface can be implemented on a touchscreen of the cooking instrumentor a mobile device connected to the computing device of the cookinginstrument. Each cooking recipe can include one or more heat adjustmentalgorithms.

The cooking instrument can execute a heat adjustment algorithm (e.g.,also referred to as “heating logic”) based on a cooking recipe (e.g., aset of instructions to operate a cooking instrument). In someembodiments, the disclosed cooking instrument can directly emulate oneor more types of conventional cooking instruments (e.g., a convectionoven, a baking oven, a kiln, a grill, a roaster, a furnace, a range, amicrowave, a smoker, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments,the cooking instrument can download (e.g., directly or indirectly) oneor more cooking recipes from an external computer server system.

Various embodiments pertain to a cooking instrument with speciallyselected materials within its cooking chamber to enable a heating system(e.g., an infrared based heating system) to choose how to transfer heatto food within the cooking instrument. This includes transferring heat:(a) directly to the food via emitted radio frequency (RF) energysubstantially within optical spectrum, visible and near visiblespectrum, infrared spectrum, or any combination thereof; (b) indirectlyto the food by directly transferring heat to a cooking platform or asupport tray that is in contact with the food; (c) indirectly to thefood by directly transferring heat to an envelope of a heating elementthat heats the air within the cooking chamber, which air in turn heatsthe food. For example, some embodiments include an oven (e.g., thecooking instrument 100) that comprises: a cooking chamber (e.g., thechamber 102); a support tray (e.g., the cooking platform 110 or the tray516) adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; a heating system(e.g., the heating elements 114); and a control system (e.g., thecomputing device 206). The heating system can includes one or moreheating elements. The heating elements can be configured to emit energypartially or substantially in the infrared energy spectrum. The heatingelements can be substantially directional or at least notomnidirectional. Each heating element can include one or more filaments(e.g., one of the filament assemblies 228 or the filament assemblies506); a containment vessel (e.g., one of the containment vessel 232 orthe containment vessel 508), as an envelope of the heating element,surrounding the filaments; and an electric signal driver or modulator(e.g., one of the filament drivers 224) to drive the filaments. In somecases, the material of the support tray has an absorption band that isat least partially different from an absorption band of the envelope.

The control system can be configured to: receive an instruction to cookfood in the cooking chamber according to a digital recipe; and vary,according to the instruction, an emission spectrum (e.g., varying thepeak wavelength of the emission spectrum) emitted by the heating elementto specifically and directly transfer heat to the support tray, anenvelope of the heating element, a specific type of edible material inthe food (e.g., water molecules, lipids, proteins, etc.), or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the material of the supporttray has an absorption band that is at least partially different fromthe absorption band of the envelope. An absorption band is a range ofwavelengths, frequencies or energies in the electromagnetic spectrumwhich are characteristic of a particular transition from initial tofinal state in a substance. This enables the heating system to directlytransfer heat to either the envelope or the support tray independently,thereby enabling different ways of indirectly heating the food. In somecases, the absorption band of the support tray substantially lacksoverlap with the absorption band of the envelope. In another case, theabsorption band of the support tray does overlap with the absorptionband of the envelope, but each absorption band has sufficientnonoverlapping portions such that the heating system can directlytransfer heat to one or another.

A digital recipe can include one or more instructions to operate theheating system. Each instruction can specify an emission configuration(e.g., emission spectrum and/or intensity) for a set duration or until adetectable condition (e.g., a condition determinable by the controlsystem based on sensor data and/or user input) is met. In one example,the heating system can specifically excite (e.g., specifically anddirectly transfer heat via emitted waves) the support tray bydisproportionally heating the support tray relative to other materialsin the cooking chamber. Disproportionally heating the support tray caninclude directly transferring heat to the support tray without directlytransferring heat to the envelope or the food. In another example, theheating system can specifically excite the envelope (e.g., and therebyair in the cooking chamber) without directly transferring heat to thesupport tray or the food. In another example, the heating system canspecifically excite an edible material without directly transferringheat to the support tray or the envelope.

The oven can further comprise a reflector for the heating element toreflect emission of the heating element. The reflector can be a coatingon an outer surface of the heating element that faces away from thesupport tray. The material of the reflector can be substantially ceramic(e.g., zirconium dioxide). The reflector can be adapted to be spacedapart from the heating element at a distance such that, together theheating element and the reflector have anti-fouling characteristics andare capable of disintegrating (e.g., burning or vaporizing) any fooddebris in the space therebetween.

Some embodiments pertain to a cooking instrument that comprises: acooking chamber; a support tray adapted to hold food in the cookingchamber; a heating system comprised of a heating element capable ofemitting waves at different peak emission wavelengths; and a controlsystem configured to drive the heating element to emit at a first peakwavelength such that the support tray is substantially opaque to wavesemitted from the heating element and at a second peak wavelength suchthat the support tray is substantially transparent to waves emitted fromthe heating element. For example, “substantially transparent” can meanthat the emitted waves would pass through the support tray and“substantially opaque” can mean that the emitted waves would be absorbedby the support tray and thereby directly heat the support tray. Thefirst peak wavelength can be 3 microns or above. The second peakwavelength can be shorter than 3 microns. The control system can beconfigured to drive the heating element at a third peak wavelength suchthat the support tray is heated by waves emitted from the heatingelement without heating any food on the support tray. For example, thethird peak wavelength is between 3 microns and 4 microns. The supporttray can have an optically transparent region enabling visible light tosubstantially travel through two opposing surfaces of the support tray.The support tray can include a reflective portion to enable a top sidecamera to capture a bottom view of the food resting on the support tray.For example, the support tray is comprised of glass. For example, thesupport tray comprises borosilicate glass (e.g., pure borosilicate glassor a mixture such as Pyrex©).

Some embodiments pertain to a cooking instrument that comprises: acooking chamber; a support tray adapted to hold food in the cookingchamber; and a heating system comprised of a plurality of heatingelements. The heating system has structures and circuitry that iscapable of emitting waves at different peak emission wavelengths. Theheating system may be adapted to emit waves according to a firstparticular configuration such that the emitted waves are substantiallytransparent to the support tray. For example, the peak wavelength of theemitting waves at the particular configuration can be outside of theabsorption band of the material(s) of the support tray. The heatingsystem can produce the waves according to an emission spectrum specifiedby the first particular configuration such that an area under theemission spectrum is outside of the absorption band of the material(s)of the support tray. In some embodiments, the heating system may beadapted to emit waves according to a second particular configurationsuch that the emitted ways are substantially opaque to the support tray.

In some cases, at least one of the heating elements is operable tomodulate at a peak wavelength that corresponds to an excitablewavelength of the support tray. The heating system is capable ofapplying different heating patterns to different zones on the supporttray. The heating system can have circuitry to supply different amountsof power respectively to at least two different heating elements of theheating system. The heating system can have circuitry to drive theheating elements at varying peak wavelengths tailored to excitedifferent materials. The cooking instrument can further comprise aperforated metallic sheet between the support tray and at least one ofthe heating elements. The heating system can be configured to applydifferent heating patterns to different zones on the support tray byusing the perforated metallic sheet to spatially block portions of wavesemitted by the at least one of the heating elements. The heating systemcan be configured to apply, simultaneously, different heatingconfigurations (e.g., different intensities and/or emission spectrums)to the different zones on the support tray. The different zones can beparts of the support tray or regions of food resting on the supporttray. The plurality of heating elements can include a first set of oneor more heating elements disposed directly above the support tray and asecond set of one or more heating elements disposed directly below thesupport tray. In one example, each heating element of the first set canbe longitudinally extended in an angle that is substantiallyperpendicular to each heating element of the second set. In anotherexample, each heating element of the first set are non-uniformly spacedapart.

Some embodiments include a cooking instrument, comprising: a cookingchamber; a support tray adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; andan infrared-based heating system comprised of a heating element. Theheating element is capable of emitting waves according to a particularconfiguration such that the support tray is substantially transparent tothe emitted waves. An envelope of the heating element is substantiallytransparent to the emitted waves. The emitted waves can directlytransfer energy to the food. The infrared-based heating system caninclude a plurality of heating elements. The support tray can becomposed of one or more materials. The peak wavelength of waves emittedby the heating system at the particular configuration is outside of theabsorption band of the one or more materials. The heating system iscapable of emitting waves according to an emission spectrum specified bythe particular configuration. An area under the emission spectrum canoutside of an absorption band of the one or more materials.

Some embodiments include a cooking instrument, comprising: a cookingchamber; a support tray adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; andan infrared-based heating system comprised of at least a heatingelement. The heating system is capable of emitting waves according to aparticular configuration such that the support tray is substantiallyopaque to the emitted waves and an envelope of the heating element issubstantially transparent to the emitted waves.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a perspective view of a cookinginstrument 100, in accordance with various embodiments. The cookinginstrument 100 can include a chamber 102 having a door 106. At least onecooking platform 110 is disposed inside the chamber 102. The cookingplatform 110 can be a tray, a rack, or any combination thereof. Thechamber 102 can be lined with one or more heating elements 114 (e.g., aheating element 114A, a heating element 114B, etc., collectively as the“heating elements 114”). Each of heating elements 114 can include awavelength controllable filament assembly. The wavelength controllablefilament assembly is capable of independently adjusting an emissionfrequency/wavelength, emission power, and/or emission signal pattern inresponse to a command from a computing device (not shown) of the cookinginstrument 100.

In several embodiments, the chamber 102 is windowless. That is, thechamber 102, including the door 106, is entirely enclosed without anytransparent (and/or semitransparent) parts when the door 106 is closed.For example, the chamber 102 can be sealed within a metal enclosure(e.g., with thermal insulation from/to the outside of the chamber 102)when the door 106 is closed. A camera 118 can be attached to an interiorof the chamber 102. In some embodiments, the camera 118 is attached tothe door 106. For example, the camera 118 can face inward toward theinterior of the chamber 102 when the door 106 is closed and upward whenthe door 106 is opened as illustrated. In some embodiments, the camera118 is installed on the ceiling (e.g., top interior surface) of thechamber 102. The camera 118 can be attached to the door 106 or proximate(e.g., within three inches) to the door 106 on the ceiling of thechamber 102 to enable easy cleaning, convenient scanning of labels,privacy, heat damage avoidance, etc.

In several embodiments, the heating elements 114 include one or morewavelength-controllable filament assemblies at one or more locations inthe chamber. In some embodiments, each of the one or morewavelength-controllable filament assemblies is capable of independentlyadjusting its emission frequency (e.g., peak emission frequency) and/orits emission power. For example, the peak emission frequency of thewavelength-controllable filament assemblies can be tuned within a broadband range (e.g. from 20 terahertz to 300 terahertz). Differentfrequencies can correspond to different penetration depth for heatingthe food substances, other items within the chamber 102, and/or parts ofthe cooking instrument 100.

The heating elements can be controlled to have varying power, either byusing a rapidly switching pulse width modulation (PWM)-like electronicsby having a relay-like control that turns on and off relatively quicklycompared to the thermal inertia of the heating filament itself. Thechange in peak emission frequency can be directly correlated with theamount of power delivered into the heating element. More powercorrelates to higher peak emission frequency. In some cases, the cookinginstrument 100 can hold the power constant while lowering the peakemission frequency by activating more heating elements, each at a lowerpower. The cooking instrument 100 can independently control peakemission frequencies of the filament assemblies and power them bydriving these filament assemblies individually.

In some embodiments, using the max power for each individual heatingelement to achieve the highest emission frequency is challenging becausethe power consumption may be insufficiently supplied by the AC powersupply (e.g., because it would trip the fuse). In some embodiments, thisis resolved by sequentially driving each individual heating element atmaximum power instead of driving them in parallel with reduced power.Intermediate peak emission frequency can be achieved by having acombination of sequential driving and parallel driving.

In some embodiments, the camera 118 includes an infrared sensor toprovide thermal images to the computing device as feedback to a heatadjustment algorithm. In some embodiments, the cooking instrument 100includes multiple cameras. In some embodiments, the camera 118 includesa protective shell. In some embodiments, the heating elements 114 andthe camera 118 are disposed in the chamber 102 such that the camera 118is not directly between any pairing of the heating elements. Forexample, the heating elements 114 can be disposed along two verticalwalls perpendicular to the door 106. The heating elements 114 can bequartz tubes (e.g., with heating filaments therein) that runshorizontally on the vertical walls and perpendicular to the door 106.

In some embodiments, a display 122 is attached to the door 106. Thedisplay 122 can be a touchscreen display. The display 122 can beattached to an exterior of the chamber 102 on an opposite side of thedoor 106 from the camera 118. The display 122 can be configured todisplay a real-time image or a real-time video of the interior of thechamber captured by and/or streamed from the camera 118.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of a cookinginstrument 200 (e.g., the cooking instrument 100), in accordance withvarious embodiments. The cooking instrument 200 can include a powersource 202, a computing device 206, an operational memory 210, apersistent memory 214, one or more heating elements 218 (e.g., theheating elements 114), a cooling system 220, a camera 222 (e.g., thecamera 118), a network interface 226, a display 230 (e.g., the display122), an input component 234, an output component 238, a light source242, a microphone 244, one or more environment sensors 246, a chamberthermometer 250, a temperature probe 254, or any combination thereof.

The computing device 206, for example, can be a control circuit. Thecontrol circuit can be an application-specific integrated circuit or acircuit with a general-purpose processor configured by executableinstructions stored in the operational memory 210 and/or the persistentmemory 214. The computing device 106 can control all or at least asubset of the physical components and/or functional components of thecooking instrument 200.

The power source 202 provides the power necessary to operate thephysical components of the cooking instrument 200. For example, thepower source 202 can convert alternating current (AC) power to directcurrent (DC) power for the physical components. In some embodiments, thepower source 202 can run a first powertrain to the heating elements 218and a second powertrain to the other components.

The computing device 206 can control peak wavelengths and/or spectralpower distributions (e.g., across different wavelengths) of the heatingelements 218. The computing device 206 can implement various functionalcomponents (e.g., see FIG. 3) to facilitate operations (e.g., automatedor semi-automated operations) of the cooking instrument 200. Forexample, the persistent memory 214 can store one or more cookingrecipes, which are sets of operational instructions and schedules todrive the heating elements 218. The operational memory 210 can provideruntime memory to execute the functional components of the computingdevice 206. In some embodiments, the persistent memory 214 and/or theoperational memory 210 can store image files or video files captured bythe camera 222.

The heating elements 218 can be wavelength controllable. For example,the heating elements 218 can include quartz tubes, each enclosing one ormore heating filaments. In various embodiments, the side of the quartztubes facing toward the chamber wall instead of the interior of thechamber is coated with a heat resistant coating. However, because theoperating temperature of the heating filaments can be extremely high,the cooling system 220 provides convection cooling to prevent the heatresistant coating from melting or vaporizing.

The heating elements 218 can respectively include filament drivers 224,filament assemblies 228, and containment vessels 232. For example, eachheating element can include a filament assembly housed by a containmentvessel. The filament assembly can be driven by a filament driver. Inturn, the filament driver can be controlled by the computing device 206.For example, the computing device 206 can instruct the power source 202to provide a set amount of DC power to the filament driver. In turn, thecomputing device 306 can instruct the filament driver to drive thefilament assembly to generate electromagnetic waves at a set peakwavelength.

The camera 222 serves various functions in the operation of the cookinginstrument 200. For example, the camera 222 and the display 230 togethercan provide a virtual window to the inside of the chamber despite thecooking instrument 200 being windowless. The camera 222 can serve as afood package label scanner that configures the cooking instrument 200 byrecognizing a machine-readable optical label of the food packages. Insome embodiments, the camera 222 can enable the computing device 206 touse optical feedback when executing a cooking recipe. In severalembodiments, the light source 242 can illuminate the interior of thecooking instrument 200 such that the camera 222 can clearly capture animage of the food substance therein.

The network interface 226 enables the computing device 206 tocommunicate with external computing devices. For example, the networkinterface 226 can enable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. A user device can connectwith the computing device 206 directly via the network interface 226 orindirectly via a router or other network devices. The network interface226 can connect the computing device 206 to an external device withInternet connection, such as a router or a cellular device. In turn, thecomputing device 206 can have access to a cloud service over theInternet connection. In some embodiments, the network interface 226 canprovide cellular access to the Internet.

The display 230, the input component 234, and the output component 238enable a user to directly interact with the functional components of thecomputing device 206. For example, the display 230 can present imagesfrom the camera 222. The display 230 can also present a controlinterface implemented by the computing device 206. The input component234 can be a touch panel overlaid with the display 230 (e.g.,collectively as a touchscreen display). In some embodiments, the inputcomponent 234 is one or more mechanical buttons. In some embodiments,the output component 238 is the display 230. In some embodiments, theoutput component 238 is a speaker or one or more external lights.

In some embodiments, the cooking instrument 200 includes the microphone244, and/or the one or more environment sensors 246. For example, thecomputing device 206 can utilize the audio signal, similar to imagesfrom the camera 222, from the microphone 244 as dynamic feedback toadjust the controls of the heating elements 218 in real-time accordingto a heat adjustment algorithm. In one example, the audio signal cansignify a fire alarm, a smoke alarm, popcorn being popped, or anycombination thereof. The environment sensors 246 can include a pressuresensor, a humidity sensor, a smoke sensor, a pollutant sensor, or anycombination thereof. The computing device 206 can also utilize theoutputs of the environment sensors 246 as dynamic feedback to adjust thecontrols of the heating elements 218 in real-time according to a heatadjustment algorithm.

In some embodiments, the cooking instrument 200 includes the chamberthermometer 250, and/or the temperature probe 254. For example, thecomputing device 206 can utilize the temperature readings from thechamber thermometer 250 as dynamic feedback to adjust the controls ofthe heating elements 218 in real-time according to a heat adjustmentalgorithm. The temperature probe 254 can be adapted to be inserted intofood to be cooked by the cooking instrument 200. The computing device206 can also utilize the outputs of the temperature probe 254 as dynamicfeedback to adjust the controls of the heating elements 218 in real-timeaccording to a heat adjustment algorithm. For example, the heatadjustment algorithm of a cooking recipe can dictate that the foodshould be heated at a preset temperature for a preset amount timeaccording to the cooking recipe.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of acooking instrument 300 (e.g., the cooking instrument 100 and/or thecooking instrument 200), in accordance with various embodiments. Forexample, the functional components can run on the computing device 206or one or more specialized circuits. For example, the cooking instrument300 can implement at least a cooking recipe library 302, a recipeexecution engine 306, a remote control interface 310, a cloud accessengine 314, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the recipe execution engine 306 can analyze animage from a camera (e.g., the camera 222) to determine whether a door(e.g., the door 106) is open. For example, the image from the camera maybe illuminated by a specific color of a specific light source (e.g., thelight source 242) when facing toward an interior of the cookinginstrument 300. In some embodiments, the recipe execution engine 306 isconfigured to analyze an image from the camera to determine whether amachine-readable optical label is within the image. For example, therecipe execution engine 306 can be configured to select a cooking recipefrom the cooking recipe library 302 based on the machine-readableoptical label. In some embodiments, the remote control interface 310 isconfigured to send a message to a user device to confirm theautomatically selected cooking recipe. In some embodiments, the recipeexecution engine 306 is configured to present the cooking recipe forconfirmation on a local display and to receive the confirmation a localinput component when the cooking recipe is displayed. In response to theselection of the cooking recipe, the recipe execution engine 306 canexecute a heating configuration schedule by controlling the heatingelements according to the cooking recipe and a heat adjustment algorithmspecified therein. The heat adjustment algorithm is capable ofdynamically controlling the heating elements 218 (e.g., adjusting outputpower, spectral power distribution, and/or peak wavelength) in real-timein response to changing input variables.

The remote control interface 310 can be used to interact with a user.For example, a user device (e.g., a computer or a mobile device) canconnect to the remote control interface via the network interface 226.Via this connection, the user can configure the cooking instrument 300in real-time. In one example, the user can select a cooking recipe via auser-device-side application. The user-device-side application cancommunicate the remote control interface 310 to cause the cookinginstrument 300 to execute the selected cooking recipe. The cloud accessengine 314 can enable the cooking instrument 300 to access a cloudservice to facilitate execution of a cooking recipe or update thecooking recipes in the cooking recipe library 302.

Components (e.g., physical or functional) associated with the cookinginstrument can be implemented as devices, modules, circuitry, firmware,software, or other functional instructions. For example, the functionalcomponents can be implemented in the form of special-purpose circuitry,in the form of one or more appropriately programmed processors, a singleboard chip, a field programmable gate array, a network-capable computingdevice, a virtual machine, a cloud computing environment, or anycombination thereof. For example, the functional components describedcan be implemented as instructions on a tangible storage memory capableof being executed by a processor or other integrated circuit chip. Thetangible storage memory may be volatile or non-volatile memory. In someembodiments, the volatile memory may be considered “non-transitory” inthe sense that it is not a transitory signal. Memory space and storagesdescribed in the figures can be implemented with the tangible storagememory as well, including volatile or non-volatile memory.

Each of the components may operate individually and independently ofother components. Some or all of the components may be executed on thesame host device or on separate devices. The separate devices can becoupled through one or more communication channels (e.g., wireless orwired channel) to coordinate their operations. Some or all of thecomponents may be combined as one component. A single component may bedivided into sub-components, each sub-component performing separatemethod step or method steps of the single component.

In some embodiments, at least some of the components share access to amemory space. For example, one component may access data accessed by ortransformed by another component. The components may be considered“coupled” to one another if they share a physical connection or avirtual connection, directly or indirectly, allowing data accessed ormodified by one component to be accessed in another component. In someembodiments, at least some of the components can be upgraded or modifiedremotely (e.g., by reconfiguring executable instructions that implementsa portion of the functional components). The systems, engines, ordevices described herein may include additional, fewer, or differentcomponents for various applications.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 of operating the cookinginstrument (e.g., the cooking instrument 100, the cooking instrument200, and/or the cooking instrument 300) to cook an food, in accordancewith various embodiments. The method 400 can be controlled by acomputing device (e.g., the computing device 206).

At step 402, the computing device can select a cooking recipe (e.g.,from a local cooking recipe library stored in the local memory (e.g.,the operational memory 210 and/or the persistent memory 214) of thecomputing device and/or the cooking instrument, a heating libraryimplemented by a cloud service accessible through a network interface(e.g., the network interface 226), or another external source connectedto the computing device). Optionally, at step 404, the computing devicecan identify a food profile of an food in or about to be in the cookinginstrument. For example, the computing device can utilize a camera toidentify the food profile (e.g., performing image recognition of thefood or scanning a digital label attached to an outer package of thefood). The food profile can identify the size of the food, the weight ofthe food, the shape of the food, the current temperature of the food, orany combination thereof.

At step 406, the computing device can instantiate and/or configure,based on the cooking recipe and/or the food profile, a heat adjustmentalgorithm to control a heating process of the food. The heat adjustmentalgorithm specifies how to adjust the driving parameters of one or moreheating elements in the cooking instrument based on input variables thatmay change over time. Input variables can include time lapsed (e.g.,from when the heating elements are first driven and/or when the heatingprocess first begins), temperature within the cooking instrument, userinput via an external device connected to the computing device or acontrol panel of the cooking instrument, temperature within the food(e.g., as reported by a temperature probe inserted into the food),real-time image analysis of the food, real-time audio signal analysisfrom a microphone inside or outside of the cooking instrument, real-timeenvironment sensor outputs analysis, or any combination thereof. At step408, the computing device can update, in real-time, the input variablesand, at step 410, re-adjust the driving parameters to the heatingelements according to the heating adjustment algorithm.

Part of the adjustment made by the heat adjustment algorithm can includeheat intensity, peak wavelength (e.g., for targeting different food ormaterial within the cooking chamber), heat duration, topical heatlocation (e.g., zones), or any combination thereof. The computing devicecan configured the heating elements to apply different heating patternsto different zones on a tray in the cooking instrument. The differentzones can be portions of the tray or regions of food resting on thetray. The computing device can configure the heating elements to apply,simultaneously or sequentially, different heating patterns (e.g.,heating levels) to different zones (e.g., areas above the tray) on thesupport tray by supplying different amount of power to different heatingelements. The computing device can configure the heating elements toapply different heating patterns to different zones on the support trayby driving the heating elements of the heating system at varying peakwavelengths. The cooking instrument can include a perforated metallicsheet between the tray and at least one of the heating elements. Thecomputing device can configure the heating elements to apply differentheating patterns to different zones on the support tray by using theperforated metallic sheet to spatially block portions of waves emittedby the at least one of the heating elements.

At step 412, the computing device can compute, based on the heatingadjustment algorithm, when to terminate the heating process (e.g., whenthe cooking instrument stops supplying power to the heating elements).In some embodiments, the heating adjustment algorithm takes into accountwhether the food is expected to be extracted out of the cookinginstrument substantially immediately after the termination of theheating process (e.g., a high-speed mode). For example, the heatingadjustment algorithm can shorten the expected termination time if theuser indicates that the food will remain in the cooking instrument apreset duration after the termination of the heating process (e.g., alow stress mode).

While processes or methods are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified to providealternative or subcombinations. Each of these processes or blocks may beimplemented in a variety of different ways. In addition, while processesor blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, theseprocesses or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may beperformed at different times. When a process or step is “based on” avalue or a computation, the process or step should be interpreted asbased at least on that value or that computation.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional front view of a first example of a cookinginstrument 500 (e.g., the cooking instrument 100, the cooking instrument200, and/or the cooking instrument 300), in accordance with variousembodiments. The cooking instrument 500 includes a chamber 502 and oneor more filament assemblies 506 (e.g., a filament assembly 506A, afilament assembly 506B, a filament assembly 506C, a filament assembly506D, a filament assembly 506E, a filament assembly 506F, etc.,collectively as the “filament assemblies 506”) at one or more locationsin the chamber 502. The filament assemblies 506 can be part of theheating elements of the cooking instrument 500. Each of the filamentassemblies 506 can include a containment vessel 508 surrounding afilament 510. The containment vessel 508 can be coated with reflectivematerial to serve as a reflector 511. This way, the reflector 511 isprevented from being fouled by debris. The containment vessel 508 can bemade of quartz. The reflective material can be gold or white ceramics,such as zirconium oxide, silicon oxide, etc. The filament assemblies 506can be tungsten halogen assemblies. The reflective material can becoated on a portion of an outer surface of each heating element thatfaces away from a tray 516.

A computing device (e.g., the computing device 206) can be configured tocontrol the peak emission wavelengths of the filament assemblies 506.For example, the computing device can be configured to identify a foodprofile associated with food (e.g., in the chamber 502) based on sensorinput (e.g., camera scanning a label) or the user input. The computingdevice can then determine one or more excitable wavelengths associatedwith the food profile. The computing device can drive the filamentassemblies 506 to emit at a peak emission wavelength corresponding to atleast one of the excitable wavelengths to heat the food.

In some embodiments, the chamber 502 is entirely enclosed in metal. Insome embodiments, the chamber 502 has the door. In some embodiments, thechamber 502 has one or more transparent windows (e.g., glass windows).In some embodiments, one or more perforated metal sheets 512 (e.g., aperforated metal sheet 512A and/or a perforated metal sheet 512B,collectively as the “perforated metal sheets 512”) are disposed withinthe chamber 502. In some embodiments, there is only a single perforatedmetal sheet in the chamber 502 (e.g., above the tray 516 or below thetray 516). In some embodiments, there are two perforated metal sheets(as shown). Each of the perforated metal sheets 512 can be a removableor fixated panel. The perforated metal sheets 512 can enable control ofheating concentration along a horizontal plane parallel its surface.Perforated metal sheets, such as a perforated aluminum foil, can be usedto shield certain food items from the intense radiant heat generated bythe heating elements. For example, when cooking a steak and vegetablesside-by-side, the perforated metal sheets can shield the vegetables frombeing overcooked and enable the steak to receive the full power from theheating elements. Longer wavelength emission from the filamentassemblies 506 can penetrate perforations more equally compared toshorter wavelength. Hence even if the perforations were designed toshield, for example, 90% of direct radiant heat, the cooking instrumentcan still independently tune the heating by varying the wavelength. Thisenables some control of side-by-side cooking in addition to directradiant heating.

In some embodiments, the chamber 502 includes the tray 516 (e.g., thecooking platform 110) in the chamber 502. In some embodiments, the tray516 includes or is part of at least one of the one or more perforatedmetal sheets 512. The computing device can be configured to drive theheating elements to emit at a peak emission wavelength corresponding toexcitable wavelength for the tray 516. By tuning the peak emissionwavelength to the excitable wavelength of the tray 516, the computingdevice can heat up the tray 516 without directly heating the air or thefood inside the chamber 502.

The tray 516 can be made of glass. The tray 516 can include an opticallytransparent region enabling visible light to substantially travelthrough two opposing surfaces of the tray 516. For example, a user ofthe cooking instrument 500 can place an instruction sheet beneath thetray 516 while arranging food on the tray 516 to be cooked. The user candirectly overlay specific food at the desired location according to theinstruction sheet. The tray 516 can include a reflective portion 518 toenable a top side camera 522 to capture a bottom view of food resting onthe tray 516.

The cooking instrument 500 can include an airflow-based cooling system520. The airflow-based cooling system 520 can blow directly onto areflector portion of the containment vessel 508 to cool (e.g., preventvaporization of the reflective coating) and improve performance of thereflector 511. The airflow can be controlled to provide impingementconvection heating. The airflow-based cooling system 520 can have an airpath that filters steam and thus prevents hot air from escaping when thedoor of the cooking instrument 500 is opened. The air path can also beconfigured to go over a camera (not shown) of the cooking instrument 500to keep the lens of the camera condensation free.

In some embodiments, a fan can be installed away from the filamentassemblies 506. When the peak wavelength of a filament assembly isconfigured to heat the envelope and/or the containment vessel 508, thefan can stir the air within the chamber 502 to ensure that heated airadjacent to the containment vessels 508 is moved to other parts of thechamber 502 to cook the food.

In some embodiments, the cooking instrument 500 lacks a crumb tray. Forexample, the cooking instrument 500 can use quartz or other heatresistant sheet to cover the heating elements so that the bottom of thecooking instrument chamber has no heating elements to trip over. Theheat resistant sheet can be transparent at the operating wavelengths ofthe filament assemblies 506 to enable for the emission from the heatingelements to penetrate through without much loss.

In some embodiments, the computing device within the cooking instrument500 can drive the filament assemblies 506 according to instructions in acooking recipe. For example, the computing device can drive at least oneof the filament assemblies 506 at a specific peak wavelength. Thespecific peak wavelength can correspond to excitable wavelengths of thematerials in the support tray, the containment vessel 508 (e.g.,envelope of the filament assembly), a specific type of edible material,water molecules, or any combination thereof. By matching the specificpeak wavelength, the computing device can target specific material forheating. For example, the computing device can drive at least one of theheating elements at a peak wavelength (e.g., 3 μm or above for glasstrays) such that the support tray is substantially opaque to wavesemitted from the at least one of the heating elements. The computingdevice can drive at least one of the heating elements at a peakwavelength (e.g., 3 μm or less for glass trays) such that the supporttray is substantially transparent to waves emitted from the at least oneof the heating elements. The computing device can drive at least one ofthe heating elements at a peak wavelength (e.g., between 3 μm and 4 μmfor glass trays) such that the support tray is heated by waves emittedfrom the at least one of the heating elements without heating anyorganic food in the cooking chamber.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional top view of the cooking instrument 500 ofFIG. 5A along lines A-A′, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG.5B can illustrate the perforated metal sheet 512A and cavities withinthe perforated metal sheet 512A that exposes the tray 516. FIG. 5C is across-sectional top view of the cooking instrument 500 of FIG. 5A alonglines B-B′, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 5C canillustrate the tray 516. FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional top view of thecooking instrument 500 of FIG. 5A along lines C-C′, in accordance withvarious embodiments. FIG. 5D can illustrate the filament assemblies 506.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of a second example of a cookinginstrument 600, in accordance with various embodiments. This secondexample can illustrate various features in various embodiments of thedisclosed cooking instrument. A particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the second example can beincluded in the first example. All of the described examples havefeatures that are not mutually exclusive from other examples.

For example, the cooking instrument 600 includes heating elements, andtherefore filament assemblies (e.g., a filament assembly 606A, afilament assembly 606B, a filament assembly 606C, and a filamentassembly 606D, collectively as the “filament assemblies 606”). Thefilament assemblies 606 can differ from the filament assemblies 506 inthat an upper set (e.g., the filament assemblies 606A, 606B, and 606B)extends longitudinally at a substantially perpendicular angle from alower set (e.g., the filament assembly 606D and other filamentassemblies not shown). Further unlike the filament assemblies 506, thefilament assemblies 606 are not uniformly spaced apart from each other.

A reflector 611 can be positioned to be spaced apart from each of thefilament assemblies 606. The reflector 611 can be a standalone structureunlike the coating of the reflector 511. The reflector 611 can be spacedwithin a distance from a filament assembly (e.g., therefore a heatingelement) to have anti-fouling characteristics and to vaporize any fooddebris. The cooking instrument 600 can include a fan 620. Unlike thecooling system 520, the fan 620 is not specifically directed to any ofthe filament assemblies 606.

A chamber 602 is substantially similar to the chamber 502. Perforatedmetal sheets 612A and 612B are substantially similar to the perforatedmetal sheets 512. A tray 616 is substantially similar to the tray 516,but does not include a reflective portion. The camera 622 issubstantially similar to the camera 522.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a heating system 700 of a cookinginstrument (e.g., the cooking instrument 100, the cooking instrument200, and/or the cooking instrument 300), in accordance with variousembodiments. The heating system 700 can include a plurality of heatingelements (e.g., a heating element 702A, a heating element 702B, etc.,collectively the “heating elements 702”) configured to generateelectromagnetic waves. Each heating element is configurable to operateover a range of peak wavelengths.

An alternating current (AC) power supply circuit 706 is configured toconvert AC power from an AC power line 710 to direct current (DC) power.The AC power line 710 provides up to a maximum power threshold beforetriggering a circuit breaker. The AC power supply circuit 706 caninclude a power factor correction (PFC) circuit. The AC power supplycircuit 706 can divide an AC power cycle from the AC power line into twohalf waves.

A plurality of relay switches (e.g., a relay switch 714A, a relay switch714B, etc., collectively as the “relay switches 714”) can respectivelycorrespond to the plurality of heating elements 702. The relay switches714 can be TRIAC switches. The DC power from the AC power supply circuit706 is routed to a heating element when a corresponding relay switch isswitched on. A control circuit 718 is configured to switch on a subsetof the plurality of relay switches 714 such that a total power drawnthrough the relay switches is equal to or below the maximum powerthreshold. The control circuit 718 can be configured to switch on asingle relay switch at a time to concentrate the DC power provided viathe AC power supply at the maximum power threshold to a single heatingelement. The control circuit 718 can include a processor (e.g., thecomputing device 206). The relay switches 714 can be configured by thecontrol circuit 718 to provide one half wave to a first heating elementand another half wave to a second heating element.

Some embodiments of the disclosure have other aspects, elements,features, and steps in addition to or in place of what is describedabove. These potential additions and replacements are describedthroughout the rest of the specification. Reference in thisspecification to “various embodiments” or “some embodiments” means thata particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment ofthe disclosure. Alternative embodiments (e.g., referenced as “otherembodiments”) are not mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover,various features are described which may be exhibited by someembodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements aredescribed which may be requirements for some embodiments but not otherembodiments.

Some embodiments of the disclosure have other aspects, elements,features, and steps in addition to or in place of what is describedabove. These potential additions and replacements are describedthroughout the rest of the specification.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An oven comprising: a cooking chamber; asupport tray adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; a heatingsystem comprised of: a heating element, the heating element configurableto emit waves at different peak emission wavelengths; and an envelopefor the heating element, wherein the material of the support tray has anabsorption band that is at least partially different from an absorptionband of the envelope; and a control system configured to: receive aninstruction to cook the food in the cooking chamber according to adigital recipe; and vary, according to the instruction, a peakwavelength emitted by the heating element to specifically and directlytransfer heat to the support tray, the envelope of the heating element,a specific type of edible material in the food, or any combinationthereof.
 2. The oven of claim 1, wherein the heating system includes:one or more filaments; a tubular containment vessel, as the envelope ofthe heating element, surrounding the filaments; and an electric signaldriver or modulator to drive the one or more filaments.
 3. The oven ofclaim 1, further comprising a reflector for the heating element toreflect emission of the heating element.
 4. The oven of claim 3, whereinthe reflector is a coating on an outer surface of the heating elementthat faces away from the support tray.
 5. The oven of claim 3, whereinthe material of the reflector is substantially ceramic.
 6. The oven ofclaim 3, wherein the reflector is adapted to be spaced apart from theheating element at a distance such that, together the heating elementand the reflector have anti-fouling characteristics and are capable ofdisintegrating any food debris in the space therebetween.
 7. The oven ofclaim 1, wherein the absorption band of the support tray substantiallylacks overlap with the absorption band of the envelope.
 8. A cookinginstrument comprising: a cooking chamber; a support tray adapted to holdfood in the cooking chamber; a heating system comprised of a heatingelement configurable to emit waves at different peak emissionwavelengths including: at a first peak wavelength such that the supporttray is substantially opaque to the emitted waves, and at a second peakwavelength such that the support tray is substantially transparent towaves emitted from the heating element; and a control system configuredto select one of the different peak emission wavelengths and drive theheating element to emit at the selected one of the different peakemission wavelengths.
 9. The cooking instrument of claim 8, wherein thefirst peak wavelength is 3 microns or longer.
 10. The cooking instrumentof claim 8, wherein the second peak wavelength is shorter than 3microns.
 11. The cooking instrument of claim 8, wherein the heatingelement is configurable at the first peak wavelength such that theemitted waves disproportionally directly transfer heat to the supporttray over the food on the support tray.
 12. The cooking instrument ofclaim 8, wherein the support tray has an optically transparent regionenabling visible light to substantially travel through two opposingsurfaces of the support tray.
 13. The cooking instrument of claim 12,wherein the support tray includes a reflective portion to enable a topside camera to capture a bottom view of the food resting on the supporttray.
 14. The cooking instrument of claim 8, wherein the support tray iscomprised of glass.
 15. A cooking instrument, comprising: a cookingchamber; a support tray adapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; acontrol system; and an infrared-based heating system comprised of aheating element, wherein the heating element is configurable to emitwaves according to different spectral configurations adjustable by thecontrol system, one of the different spectral configurations configuresthe heating element such that the support tray is substantiallytransparent to the emitted waves of the heating element, an envelope ofthe heating element is substantially transparent to the emitted waves ofthe heating element and the emitted waves of the heating elementdirectly transfer energy to the food.
 16. The cooking instrument ofclaim 15, wherein the infrared-based heating system includes a pluralityof heating elements with at least a first set of one or more heatingelements disposed directly above the support tray and a second set ofone or more heating elements disposed directly below the support tray.17. The cooking instrument of claim 16, wherein each heating element ofthe first set is longitudinally extended in an angle that issubstantially perpendicular to each heating element of the second set.18. The cooking instrument of claim 16, wherein each heating element ofthe first set are non-uniformly spaced apart.
 19. The cooking instrumentof claim 15, wherein the support tray is composed of one or morematerials; and wherein the peak wavelength of waves emitted by theheating system at the particular configuration is outside of theabsorption band of the one or more materials.
 20. The cooking instrumentof claim 15, wherein the heating system is capable of emitting wavesaccording to an emission spectrum specified by the particularconfiguration; and wherein an area under the emission spectrum isoutside of an absorption band of the one or more materials.
 21. Acooking instrument, comprising: a cooking chamber; a support trayadapted to hold food in the cooking chamber; a control system; and aninfrared-based heating system comprised of at least a heating element,the heating element capable of emitting waves according to multiplespectral configurations, wherein a particular configuration of themultiple spectral configurations configures the heating element suchthat the support tray is substantially opaque to the emitted waves andan envelope of the heating element is substantially transparent to theemitted waves.